Apparatus for forming crystals



Sept. 13, 1932. HQRVATH 1,877,403

APPARATUSFOR FORMING CRYSTALS Fi led Sept. 19, 1929 s Sheets-Sheet 1 c/Zexa nderfiafuafh 4 '%;z%w&z/ m

Sept. 13, 1932. HC DRVATH APPARATUS FOR FORMING CRYSTALS Filed Sept. 19. 1929 s sheets-sheet 2 unluumnv- Sept. 13, 19 32. HQRVATH 1,877,403

APPARATUS FOR FORMING CRYSTALS Filed Sept. 19. 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Sept. 13 1932 rr mA'rUs FOB roe-Mine oItYsrALsf Q Y Application filed September 19,1929fSfia1No. 393,714; i i i This invention relates to the art of forming crystals, and particularly to apparatus for forming crystals for Watch cases and the like. The particular embodiment ofapplic'ants in- 5 vent'ion disclosed in the present application pertains especially to an apparatus for forming the crystals of Watch cases.

I It is a wellknown fact that atch cases, and particularly those Worn on the Wrist, are

1 0 of various different sizes and shapes to attract the eye of the particular individual, and that Whenever a crystal is" broken, it is, in. many instances, very difficult to replace the crystal without considerable delay and'expense. This is particularly true in the case of crystals having odd shapes and sizes. Furthermore, Watch cases being usually manufactured of relatively light materiahthe bezel thereof in which the crystal is mounted. often'becomes Warped or the shape thereof otherwise jdistorted, thus making it very difficult if not im possible to secure therein a crystal whichivill provide suitable protection for the mechanism of the Watch, even though the crystal furnished may-be of the proper size and shape for that particular design of Watch.

.Furthermore, the large variety of designs and sizes in Watch cases entails the necessity of'carrying' a large and variedstock of crystals in order to meet the possible demand for crystals of a particular design or size, and owing to the fact that alarge portion of such a V collection of; crystals-become obsolete and consequently dead stock, the price of an individual crystal is greatly increased." Furthermore, a stock crystal of proper dimensions to :lit a particularbezel maybe of insufficient height to avoid binding on the tips of the hands, thereby interfering with the efficient operation of the Watch, and in such a case, any attempt to grind away aportion ofthe crystal usually-results in the destruction or weakening of the crystal, or at best in producing'a crystal of unsightly appearance. 7

One object of the present invention is to provide a device for making crystals for watch cases and the like,'fro1na relatively thin sheet of pliable material, such as cellu loid or other suitable material, and wherein the bezel in which thecrystalf is Itof be ationof the heatingmeans;

the bezel of the. case to which the particular crystal is .to. be appliedjis'employed 'ias a template in the 'formation of the crystal,"

, Another objecto-fthe' invention is to pro vide anapparatusby means of whichv a crystal maybe readily formed from'a blank piece of suitable material in such a manner tl1at the crystal when finished will conform; to theexact shape and. sizeoftheopening in. e

mounted. v Another object of the inventionlis as provide an apparatus for-[producing crystals. of

various heights thus obtaining the necessary clearance desired for the hands. of the watch.

vide an apparatus for forming crystals of anyldesired size, shape, pattern or design.

' Another object of the invention is. to provide -a device for forming crystals or the' V unbreakable type at lovv cost, of cor ifictsize 0 and which will be very'satisfactory' for their intended'purposes. i A v r Another object of the invention is to providej suitable clampingmeans for securing the material from which the crystal is made Another object of thefl invention is to pro- 55 in desired-position to permit of proper treat- 5 ment of the material in crystal-j V. a Another object oftheinvention iisto providemeans for forming a crystalhavinga dome like portion ofpredetermined height,

the formation of the and means for varyingathe height of such portion as desired. I

Another object of the invention is to pro vide suitable means forheating the material used in a manner to facilitate the-treatment thereof in. the formationof the: crys:

tal. e .7

Another'object of the invention is to pros o .vide foraautomati'cally controllingthe ,oper- Alfurther object of the invention 'is-jto' provide meansfor varying the operation of the heatcontrollin'g means; i V 1 F r A stillfurther object ofthe invention is to improve devices of the characterldisclosed in sundry details hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in, the appended ALEXANDER onvA'rH, oroHIoAeo, IpLINoI's i Fig. 4 is" a bottom plan view ofa portion '7 of the structure illustrated in Fig.3, and

taken substantially as 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig.5 is a sectionaltop plan view ofthe doming gauge taken substantially as indi- :cated bythe line 5:-.5 of Fig.3.

formation" of the crystal. 5

thereon. h

' 1 Fig. 7 is a side elevation ofthe bezel adapt- Fig, 6 is a top adaper or spacing frame and centering ring er or spacingframe'andcentering ringillus trated in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8'is a perspective ,view: of the centering ring illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7.

Fig. '9 is'a perspective view of the spaci- Ting frame illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. h Fig. 10 isa perspective view of another 'form of spacingIframe.

of afstrip of suitable materal Fig.,12isa perspective view ofa portion of .the sheet. of material employed,;after the formation ofrthe crystal therefrom, andil lustrates theformationor condition of the a material after being treated by the apparatus 1 shown in the illustrative embodimentof the invention.

-'Fig. 13 is a perspective viewillustrating the completed crystal ready to be positioned p in the bezel of a watch case or thelike. 1

upper face of the housing by means of a In the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown.in the. drawings,,a baseor housing 15 is provided,a'nd shown in the present instance as mounted on a box likeistru'ct'ure or c ase16 provided with a drawer '17 which may serve as areceptacle for a'supplyofthe material from which 'the crystals; are to be made for, any tools such as'a screw driver, file or other implements employed in the 'opera' A tion of the device. 7 Suitably mounted in thehousing or base '15 preferably adjacentthe upper portion thereof'is a heating unit, designated as. a whole by the numeral 18, and secured to'the clamping plate 192and bolt 20, the unit 18 being preferably electrically operated for applying suitableheat to'the material of which thejcrystals are made to facilitate the working ofthe material in the formation of the crystal. In the present structure electric current may be supplied from any suitable indicated by the line a plan view of thebase struc- V -ture illustrating the application of a bezel 20 ,Figfill is a perspective view of aportion used in the source through wires 20 and 21 connected"? to the posts 23 and 24, respectively, mount-;

ed in an insulating block 25 secured to the clamping plate 19 by means of a screw 26. The post 23 may be connected to one end of a suitably formed heating coil, of any desired? construction, arranged in the unit 18, the op- .posite end of the coil being connected to a terminal post 27 mounted in the'insulating block 25. r V Suitably mounted on the posts 24 "and 27 are terminal. plates 28 and 29 respectively, 7

said plates being formed preferably of resilient mat'erial and having their free end porti ons spaced apart and overlyingeach other asillustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings.

Slidablymoun'ted in-th'e housing 15 pref erably adj acent the free ends ofthe terminal plates 28 and 29, and suitably insulated from the housing, is an electric connector 30 adapted to be moved inwardly of thehousing against. the action of a spring'31 in a manner to engage the adjacentfaces of the ter minal plates 28. and 29 as illustrated in Fig.

I 3 to complete an electric circuit, through the heating unit. V V

For releasably securing the connector 30 in circuit closing position, aresilient retaining member 32 is preferably mounted on the bolt '20, and provided with a dog or latch-33 adapted to engage a shoulder 34 formed on'the connector 30 to hold the connector releasably in circuit closing position as illustrated in Fig.3. The member 32and dog 33lare' normally urged toward the connector 30 by 7 means of a bi-metal heat'responsive resilient element 35 shown'in the present instance as lated to the member32 in a manner to normally hold the. dog 33 inrengagement with the shoulder 34 of the connector 30 whe'nthe latter is in circuit'closing position as illustratedin Fig.3. q I

Pivotally mounted on trunnions 36 and 37,- sec ured preferably to opposite sides of the housing 15, is a yoke or. bail '38 having an intermediateportion 39 adapted: to'extend 4 across the upper side of the housing 15 in spaced relation with respect thereto.

,f unted'on the 'portion 39 is a sleeve 40 having'external screw threads formed on its 'outer surface adapted to cooperatewith internal threads'formedin a'boss41 of clampmounted inthe housing between the upper ,side thereofiand the heating element 18, and

having'its free end portion operatively ,re- 10 5 ing or pressure nut 42, the inner portion or 7 opening in the sleeve 40 being adapted to slidably receive a hollow tube like member 43 operatively related at its upper. end to the nut 42 ina manner to be moved downwardly thereby, and having secured to its lower end ii portion an inverted cup like member 44' 1 adapted to receive a flexible; resilient, and i preferably compressible fdisc like ypressure member 45 of suitable 'materialsuch, for ex} "ample, as rubber,felt or the like, adapted to engage the upper side of a sheet of flexible andpliable material indicated by the numeral position on the bezel of a watchcase or the like, indicated in Figs. 2 and 3 by the numeral ithetube 43 and engageable with the upper face or surface of the member in a manner to exert pressure thereon and flex the -mem ber 45' and material 46 when the rod 48 is rotated by means of the knurled head in a manner to move the rod downwardly through the tube 43, thereby forcing aportion of the material 46into the opening formedqin'the bezel 47. g In forming the crystal for a watch case having the bezel permanently attached theretosuch asillustrated in Fig.3 of the draw.- ings, the operation of the device issubstantially as follows:

After removing the works or operating mechanism from the case, the case with the .bezel attached thereto is positioned substantially centrally on the upper side of the housing .15 with the bezel of the case uppermost and a strip of material 46 ofwhich thecrystal is to be formed is positioned on top of the bezel in a'manner to completely cove rYthe opening formed therein, after which the clamping nut 42 is manipulated in. a manner to force the member 45 snugly against the upper face of the material in a manner to clamp and hold it in desired position between the face of the bezel and the member 45; The connecto'r30 is then moved into engagement with the terminal plates 28 and 29as'illustrated in Fig. 3 by pressing the button 51 inwardly against the action of the spring 31, thereby completing the circuit through the heating unit 18 for heating the material 46 to the desired degree to facilitate the formation of a portion thereof into a crystal.

By reason of the well known construction of the bi-metal heat responsiveelement 35, when the desired or predetermined amount of heat has been applied,the free end of the element will be drawn upwardly in a manner to permit the resiliency of themember 32 to move the dog 33 out of engagement with the shoulder 34 thereby permitting the spring 31 to move the connector 30 out of circuit closing engagement with the terminals 28 and 29. The knurled head 50 is then manipulated to move the rod downwardly through the tube 43 in a manner to cause the ball 49; to force the flexible disc 45 and a portion ofthe strip material 46 into the opening formed in the bezel of the watch case a suitable distance to provide a dome or raised portion in the crystal of desired height for permitting free operation of the hands of thewatch; 7, After the lapse of sufficient time, prefernut 42 may be manipulated to permit the material in the form illustrated in Fig. 12 to be removed from the device, and thereafter by firmly' tracing. with a suitable sharp pointed in'strument,the outline indicated at 52 in Fig. 11, formed by the edges of the bezel adjacent the opening therein, the ma terial surrounding the dome like portion 53 may be separated therefrom; If desired any rough edges of the crystal may then be smoothed by the use of a file or the like and the crystal mounted in the bezel. As is well known by those familiar with the art to which the present invention pertains,

is pivotally mounted by means of a pivot pin 55 on the clamping nut 42, and provided with a relatively large aperture 56 adapted ably a few seconds, in which to permit the. material to set, the head 50 and clamping to receive the plunger rod 48. and,.if desired of sufficientdimensionsto receive a boss57 formed on the head 50. At one side or the aperture 56, the material of the gauge 54 is cut away as indicated at 58 thereby providing astep to be engaged by the boss 57 when gauge such as that described, domes of varithe gauge isadjusted to provide a crystal of medium height. c

It will be observedthat by the'nse of a 165 one height may beobtained, for example, if

if the gauge is positioned with the opposite will be formed in the material 46, whereas side of theaperture 56 adjacent therod 48 1 as shown in Fig. 5, the rod willcbe' permitted greater downward movement until the boss 57 engages the step formed .as-indicated at 58,f thereby permitting the material to be pressed further into the opening formed in thebezel and providing a dome of greater height, and if the gauge 54 is shifted toa position where the aperture. 56 .is concentric with'the axis of rotation of the rod 48, the boss 57 may be moved downwardly through theaperture 56 and into engagement with the upper face of the nut 42 thereby permitting the material of which the crystal is formed to be forced still further into the'opening formed in the bezel, and provide a dome of still greater height as is usuallydesirable. in V watchesof relatively larger size.

-.- 2 For 'varying'the :degree of heat necessary to actuate theheat responsive element 35 and permit the connector to be withdrawn from engagement" with the terminals 28 and 29,

5 an adjusting screw-:59 .(see'Figs, 1, 2, 3 and '3 combination of a base for supportingthereon Y i 6) is screw threaded into an-aperture formed in a' wall of the housing 15 in a manner to engage the heat responsive element 'Within the housing, and it will be observed that by manipulating the screw 59,,tl16 l162Lt11- sponsive element 35 may be adjusted with respect to the member 32 in a manner to ex ert more or less pressure thereon and thereby require a greater or lesser .degreeiof heat .to flex or warp .the heat responlsiveelement 35 suiiicient to permit removal of the dog 33 from engagement with the shoulderiA.of the connector 80. v, v In Figs. 6 to 10 inclusive-are. shown'bezel adapters or spacing frames intended for 7 use in the formation of crystals for watches wherein the bezel is detachable,and in which instance it is desirable to suitably support the bezel in proper position to-insure the efiifcient, operationof the crystal forming device. The spacing frames shown in Figs. 9

' and 10 have apertures 61 and 62 formed therein of relatively different size to permit'the material to be pressed into the opening formed in the bezela sufiicient distance to provide a dome of the desired height, the openings 61 and 62 formedin.the frames being determined by the size or diameter'of the'bezel to be fitted. I v

For properly centeringthe spacing frames 61 on the housing 15, a centering ring'63'is provided with outwardly and downwardly extending projections or fingers 64 adapted to engage-the sides of the housing-15in a manner to center the ring thereon, the opening 65 in-the ring being of sufiicient diameter to receive the frames therein asshow-n in FigsJG' =It'will'be observed from theforegoing description that the present invention provides a device for forming crystals for watch cases i and the like wherein the material. may be suitably heated to a desired ,or predetermined degree to facilitate the formation of the crysor shaping means may be determined and height. vention enables the use of the bezel to which the particular crystal is to be applied, as a templatein forming the crystal thereby insuring'a properfit of the crystal and desirable protection for the watch mechanism. 7 e

' Obviously the present inventionfisnot limitcdto the precise construction and arrangementshown' and described, as the same may be variously modified. Moreover, all the fea- V v tures; of the invention need not be used con- 65 jointly, as the same llfiy beusedto advantage .basefor heating said material, m eanscoopheating the material, arthermostat for conand a gange for controlling theoper'ationiof tal,and wherein the operation of the 'doming' in variduslydifferent combinations and subcombinations. a V j .r I What I claim as new and desire tofsecure by Letters Patent is: e y v I 1.v Ina device of the class described, the

thebezel of a watch'case or the like and mastatically controlled means-mounted on said 7 Z 5 erable with the bezel for shaping said mat'erial, to form the, crystahand a gauge for controlling the operation of such shaping means; i I 7 4 v 2. In a device of the class described, the L combination of a base for supporting thereon .the beze'lof awatch case or the like andmaterial'to provide. acrystal therefor, means for trolling the operation of said heating means, means for adjusting said thermostat, means cooperable with the bezel for shaping said material to form the crystal, and a gauge for controlling I the ,7 operation of said shaping means. j Y

3. Ina device'of the class described the combination'ofa basefor supporting thereon the bezel of'a watch case orthe like and mate rial to provide a crystal therefor, means for clamping the material in desired position on l the bezel, meansfor heating thexmateriaha thermostat forcontrolling the operation of i said heating means, means foradjusting said thermostat, meansicooperable w th the bezel for shaping said materialto form the crystal,

said shapingmeans. j 4, In a device-pof'the class described, the combination of a base for supporting thereon the bezel of a watch case or the like and mate- 105 rialto provide a crystal therefor, adjustable means for clamping the material in desired positionon the bezel, means for heating the material, athermOstat for controlling the amount of heat'applied to the'materi'al, means 7110' a for adjusting the thermostat, means 000perablewith' the bezelfor shaping said material to form the crystal, and a gaugefor' co'n trolling the operation of said shaping means. 7

5. In afdevice of the classdescribed, the 7-1515 combination of a basefor supporting thereon the bezel of a watch case or the like and ma: terial to provide a crystal therefor, adjustable means for clamping the materialin: de-

sired position on the bezel, means forh'eating 1512c the material, a thermostat for controlling the amount of heat applied ,to the material, means vfor adjusting. said thermostat, adjustable meanscooperable with the bezel for Y shaping said material to form the crystal, 3

and an adjustable gauge forcontrolling the operation of said shapingmeans.

6. In a device ofj the class described, the

combination of a base for supporting thereon the bezel'ofawatch case or the like and l-' P terial to provide a crystal therefor, adjust,

able means for clamping the material in desired position on the bezel including a resilient member adapted to engage one face of the material, means for heating the material, and adjustable means for flexing said member in a manner to force a-portion of the material into the opening formed in the bezel. 8. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a base for supporting thereon the bezel of a watch case or the like and material to provide a crystal therefor, adjust able means for clamping the material in desired position on the bezel including a re silient compressible member adapted to engage one face of the material, means for heating the material, adjustable means for flexing said member in a manner to force a portion of the material into the opening formed in the bezel, and means for controlling the operation of said flexing means.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination of a base for supporting tlfereon thebezel of a watch case or the like and material to provide a crystal therefor, adjustable means for clamping the material in desired position on the bezel including a resilient member engageable with the face 'of the material, means for heating the material, a thermostat for controlling the operation of said heating means, adjustable means for flexing said member to force a portion of the material into the opening formed in the bezel in a manner to provide said portion with a dome-like formation having an outline of substantially the form of said opening, and a gauge for controlling the'movement of said flexing means.

10. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a housing having means as- V sociated therewith for supporting the bezel of a watch case or the like and material to provide a crystal therefor, a yoke pivotally mounted on said housing, adjustable clamping means mounted on said yoke including a resilient member adapted to engage the h material in a manner to secure the material in desired position on the bezel, an electric heating unit mounted in said housing and having terminals associated therewith and spaced apart from each other, a movable connector adapted-to engage said terminals to complete an electric circuit, a retainer for releasably securing sald connector in engagement with sald terminals, a heat responsive element operatively related to'said retainer for releasing said'connector at a predetermined temperature, means for moving said min'als when released, means for adjusting connector out of engagement-with said teri said heat responsive element in a manner to actuate said retainer and release said connector at varlous temperatures'of a desired degree, ad ustable means mounted insald clamping means I for flexing said resilient member to force a portion of the material into the opening formed in the bezel in a I manner to provide said portion of material with a dome-like formation having an outline of substantially the form of said open 'ing, and a gauge for controlling the move- 1 ment of'said flexing means.

11. In a device of the class described, the combination of a base for supporting thereon the bezel of a watch case or the like and material to provide a crystal therefor, inter changeable bezel adaptors or positioning frames adapted to be mounted on said base, a centering ring cooperable with said base for positioning said adaptors thereon, adjustable means for clamping the material in desired position on the bezel including a flexible member adapted to engage the face of the material, and adjustable means for flexmg sald member 1n a manner to forcea portion of the material into the opening formed 7 in the bezel. j V

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 14th day of August,A. D. 1929.

ALEXANDER HORVATH. 

